Barnes & Noble, Microsoft seal Nook deal

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NEW YORK & REDMOND, Wash. — Barnes & Noble and Microsoft have completed their previously announced strategic partnership in Nook Media LLC, a recently formed Barnes & Noble subsidiary and a leader in the emerging digital reading and digital education markets.

Nook Media LLC comprises the digital and college businesses of Barnes & Noble and will continue to have a very close and mutually beneficial relationship with Barnes & Noble’s retail stores, the companies said. The partnership includes a $300 million investment from Microsoft in Nook Media LLC.

“As demand for digital content continues to increase, we are focused on bringing ground-breaking reading and learning content and technologies to more people in more formats than ever before, including the imminent launch of our exceptional Nook reading application for Windows 8,” said William Lynch, CEO of Barnes & Noble. “We look forward to working closely with our new partner Microsoft to add value to their innovative new platform by bringing great reading experiences and one of the world’s preeminent digital bookstores to millions of Windows 8 users.”